Chapter 41.1

Chapter 41.1

As soon as their eyes met, Miran hastily lowered her gaze. Although it was unclear why she was suddenly feeling shy, Andre also felt a tickling sensation in his chest.

Miran approached cautiously, as if nearing a caged wild beast, and stopped at a distance. She still couldn’t meet his eyes, biting her lower lip and twisting her body nervously. Watching her intently, Andre straightened up from leaning against the door frame and pulled her wrist.

He drew her close enough for her soft robe to brush against his shirt. With a languid smile, Andre slowly rubbed the inside of her slender wrist with his thumb. He could feel her pulse fluttering like a hummingbird’s wings.

After releasing her wrist, he brushed down her hand and clasped her delicate fingers.

Feeling Andre’s persistent gaze, Miran lifted her head. While she had avoided his eyes before, this time she stared at him without blinking, as if hypnotized.

Her still slightly damp hand was no longer cold. Fixing his gaze on Miran, Andre lifted her hand. Miran’s eyes widened as she gasped.

He slowly brought his lips to the back of her hand, and the corners of his eyes crinkled.

“Let’s go on a date, Kang Miran.”

Miran, who had been frozen like a statue, exhaled the breath she had been holding and staggered.

Andre had never called her by her name since the first day. Come to think of it, today was the first time he had called out “Kang Miran!” loudly on set. The fact that he called her name made her insides tremble with joy.

Moreover… a date!

Miran’s face turned beet red in an instant as she pressed her cheek with the back of her hand and looked up at him.

“W-why are you doing this to me…?”

Despite her reproachful tone, her soft gaze melted like sweet caramel.

Andre liked that Miran wasn’t complicated. Her eyes, like transparent soap bubbles that seemed ready to pop at the slightest touch. Her emotions were simple.

This woman likes me.

It wasn’t a guess; it was a certainty. He smiled broadly.

“You don’t like it?”

“…Who said I don’t? It’s just that it was so sudden, it surprised me.”

Andre chuckled softly as he looked down at Miran, who had her head bowed, and led her into the living room, holding her hand. Miran’s eyes widened at the sight of the dining table filled with plates. Andre pulled a chair back slightly and gestured with his head.

“Sit.”

Pulling out a chair for her? She had only seen such gestures in dramas; it was the first time a man had done this for her in real life. Miran awkwardly bit her lip and sat down.

Andre sat across from her and began to lift the dome-shaped lids covering the dishes one by one. Miran’s stomach growled, having barely eaten breakfast. Starting with a salad, there were shrimp cocktails, spaghetti, lobster, filet mignon steak, grilled salmon, and other dishes she couldn’t even identify.

“Wow. Why did you order so much?”

Miran looked up at Andre, overwhelmed.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d like.”

Andre elegantly placed a bottle of wine and a pair of wine glasses on the dining table.

“Wine?”

At Andre’s question, Miran scratched her cheek with a hesitant expression.

“Wine… You mean grape wine, right? I’ve tried ‘Majuang’* before, but I’ve never had imported wine. Is it better than Majuang?”

*Majuang – brand of the first Korean wine.

“…It’s not bad.”

In the United States, wine was a preferred social drink among the upper-middle class living along the East and West coasts, though it wasn’t as widely popular as in Europe. Given that the Lafayette Lowell Group’s restaurant division had a wine distribution network, he had been paying close attention to the increasing trend of wine consumption in the U.S. recently.

However, Korea was still a barren land for wine. The market was limited to a few enthusiasts, making it difficult to find a wine that suited one’s taste.

Six months ago, on his way back from New York, Andre had brought back a few bottles of vintage wine from the family-owned Bordeaux winery stored in the Lafayette Residence’s wine cellar. These boutique wines, produced in limited quantities, were supplied only to his family and the Lafayette Hotel. He had saved one bottle to commemorate his last day in Seoul.

With a cheerful pop, Andre uncorked the bottle and poured wine into a glass, filling it about a third of the way before handing it to Miran. He poured some into his own glass and sat across from her.

“Cheers.”